FAQ

A:Glad you asked! Here are some tips to help you get a perfect cup of coffee:

• Start with 1 level tablespoon of ground coffee per cup (6 fluid oz of water).
• If using whole bean, grind the coffee according to the type of coffeemaker to be used in preparation (automatic drip, percolator, etc.).
• Always use fresh, cold water. Hot water has a tendency to carry minerals and/or buildup from inside water pipes. This could affect the taste of the brewed coffee.
• Keep the coffeemaker clean, following manufacturer's instructions on how to properly clean. If there are no instructions available, we recommend using distilled white vinegar. Fill the water reservoir with vinegar and run through the brewing cycle once. Rinse thoroughly with two cycles of plain water.

Tips

• Don't boil or reheat coffee. It cooks out all of the delicate flavors and leaves only the bitter residue.
• Don't leave coffee on the burner. The coffee begins to caramelize and will smell "off." For best results, serve immediately or store in a thermal carafe.
• Never mix old coffee grounds with new coffee grounds.

A:When it's time for a coffee break, this will help you select the product that's perfect for you!

• Light-Roast coffee
• Blend of Arabica and Robusta beans that delivers a smooth, mellow, delicate flavor

• Medium-Roast coffee
• Blend of Arabica and Robusta beans for a smooth, full-bodied flavor
• Also available in decaf

• Medium-Roast coffee
• Blend of Arabica and Robusta beans for coffee that is full-bodied with balanced taste

• Medium-Dark-Roast coffee.
• 100% Arabica coffee beans are rich and uniquely flavorful.

• Medium-Dark-Roast coffee
• Blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans is rich, bold, and robust.

• Darkest-Roast coffee
• Blend of Arabica and Robusta beans is strong.

A:We don't recommend reusing any of our containers, especially to store other substances. Regardless of what material it's made of, our containers are designed to protect our products during shipping and storage. This is the only use we can safely support.

A:Several factors can cause coffee to have a bitter taste, including:

• Brewed coffee sitting on the heating element too long. If not consumed in 15 minutes, we recommend keeping brewed coffee in a thermal container.
• Using a dark-roast coffee. Dark-roasted coffees typically have a bittersweet, full-bodied flavor, so if this is not the flavor you are looking for, trying a lighter roast may be the answer.
• The coffee may have been ground too fine, where too much coffee is extracted through the brewing process, causing a strong or bitter taste.
• The coffee may not have been ground fine enough, causing a lack of flavor that is often referred to as bitter.
• The grind level doesn't correctly match the brewing method (coffee ground for automatic drip but used in a percolator may taste bitter).
• The coffee beans may be stale, or may not have been stored in an airtight container. If kept too long in the refrigerator or freezer, coffee could develop "off" flavors.
• The ground coffee is stale. If ground coffee is not stored in an airtight container, it may develop bitter overtones.

A:With the Home Café brewer, you can make your favorite coffeehouse-style coffee right in your own home! Look for Folgers and Millstone^® coffee pods, designed especially for the Home Café brewer. Folgers offers four delicious varieties: Folgers Classic Roast, Classic Decaf, French Vanilla, and 100% Colombian! If you prefer Millstone coffee pods, look for French Roast and Colombian Supremo. You'll find the Home Café brewer and coffee pods in stores where coffeemakers and other small appliances are sold. If you're just looking for pods, we suggest larger supermarkets and specialty stores in your area.

For more information, or to easily find Home Café items, visit this product page, or check out the "Product Locator" section on our site for a nearby store, or visit the Smucker's Online Store

A:We're happy to explain our decaffeination process. We've developed a safe and effective decaffeination method that maintains the rich, full coffee flavor you're looking for.

We begin by steaming the beans, which draws the caffeine to the surface; ethyl acetate then is added to the beans to extract the caffeine. After the caffeine is removed, we steam the beans again, and then we're ready for roasting.

We use ethyl acetate, which is structurally the same as what is found naturally occurring in foods such as apples, bananas, and pineapples. The Food & Drug Administration approved its use in the decaffeination process in the early 1980s.

A trace amount of ethyl acetate may remain in the coffee beans after the decaffeination process is complete. More than 500 cups of decaffeinated coffee would need to be consumed to equate to the amount of ethyl acetate present in a very ripe banana.

A:Absolutely! Your container of Folgers coffee may have been packaged under higher-than-usual pressure. This can happen when the coffee being packed is extra fresh. It's still giving off its aroma, causing the protective seal to expand. It will still have that wonderful Folgers flavor and aroma.

Here are some helpful tips for opening the container. As with any vacuumed product, hold it away from your eyes. Prick the inner seal with the tip of a knife and you'll hear a "whoosh" sound. Wait a few seconds for that sound to stop, and then continue opening. Enjoy!

A:Our Folgers AromaSeal container is class 2 HDPE plastic (High Density Polyethylene), and the snap-tight lid is class 4. This material is the same type used in most laundry detergent bottles, juice containers, milk jugs, and water jugs. It's readily recyclable in areas where facilities exist.

Now the best part of wakin' up is even better.